


we'll be the proud remainers

by spacepirate



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Aromantic Jonathan Sims, Canon Asexual Character, Dorks in Love, M/M, Other, Quasiplatonic Relationship, and i'm here with more qpr jonmartin fic, discussion about romance and emotions, feel free to bully me yall did last time, it's lotr o clock, self-indulgent lotr comparisons, spoilers for mag 164 !!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23814964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacepirate/pseuds/spacepirate
Summary: Jon is... off after they talk to Helen.  Martin endeavors to figure out what's wrong, aside from the very obvious answer: the apocalypse.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims
Comments: 6
Kudos: 102





	we'll be the proud remainers

As they trudged on past the village, the acrid smell of rot burning their nostrils, Jon fell silent as he clutched onto Martin’s hand like a lifeline. Martin knew enough by now- something was bothering Jon, and he had a sneaking suspicion of what it was.

“Jon?” he said, as he was nearly being dragged along. “Jon!”

Jon stopped, turned around. He took Martin’s other hand and stared at him. “Yes, Martin? Is something wrong?”

“Well… I was going to ask you the same thing. You seem… off. Was it what Helen said? About us being a couple?” Martin asked. He rubbed his thumb over the top of Jon’s hand, feeling every smooth, coin-shaped scar.

“She’s not wrong!” Jon said. “She’s not wrong… it’s just the way she said it. It implies a level of romance I am… not comfortable being assumed to have.” _God, I sound like a prick._

Martin looked him in the eyes. “Jon. It’s _fine._ I know before-” he waved his hands vaguely at the nightmare scenario around them- “all of this, we talked about it a bit. We _are_ in a committed relationship, and we love each other, so I can see where Helen would get that from-”

“Yes, it makes sense. I don’t hold it against her, don’t misunderstand me.” Jon was looking anywhere but at Martin. “I am perfectly happy with you, and with everything in our relationship. You’re wonderful.”

Martin cupped Jon’s face in his hands. “And you’re adorable- no, no, this isn’t open for discussion- so she was right about that much.”

Jon rested his forehead against Martin’s, taking comfort in the one he loved being so close in this absolute hellscape. The village was behind them, but they could still hear the faint buzzing of flies.

“Martin?”

“Yes?”

“I do love you. And if all of this ever ends… I want to live a normal life, with you. As normal as we can manage, that is.” Jon smiled. “Even if it’s hard for other people to understand, this is all I ever wanted. A partner who understood my aromanticism and respected it, even if it wasn’t what they wanted from a relationship with me. You’re a dream come true, Martin, even in this nightmare.”

Martin fell silent, just staring into his eyes. He wasn’t sure what, if anything, he was supposed to say to that. How… how did he respond to that?  
Jon continued. “And I know this isn’t what you want from me, Martin. I… I know you want a fully romantic relationship and I feel bad that I can’t be that for you. It must be hard.”

Before he could keep talking, Martin shushed him, pulling away slightly. “Jon. You can’t go down that path right now. I love you, and I’m happy with this.” He scratched the back of his neck and smiled slightly. “As happy as I can be in all of this. But those weeks in Scotland were some of the best of my life. Maybe when this is all over- and it’s _going_ to be over, we can fix this, Jon- we can go back there.”

Now it was Jon’s turn to be quiet. For the first time in a while, he found himself truly at a loss for words. He felt his eyes brim with tears and he made himself look away. “You _really_ think we can fix this? After everything?”

Martin looked around. The scorched earth around the village, the slimy black of dried blood of the trenches behind them, whatever terrors waited ahead. He tried not to think too hard about the people that might’ve lived here once.  
“I don’t know. I don’t know, Jon, but if I don’t keep telling myself that we have the smallest chance of making the fears go back where they came from, I will sit down on the ground and never get up. I need a little bit of hope to keep going or they’ll get me, too.”

Jon lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine. I just…” Martin floundered and felt his cheeks turn red. “Have you ever read The lord of the Rings?”

“Well, yes, but it was a very long time ago. I actually watched the movies with Georgie more recently.”

Martin shoved his hands in his pockets. “It’s sort of like in The Two Towers, when the hobbits are in Gondor. Frodo- that’s you in this analogy- is starting to give up. But Sam doesn’t let him! He tells Frodo that there’s still good in the world, and that it’s worth fighting for.”

“And so in this scenario you’ve created, you’re Sam?”

“I- uh- yes, I’m Sam. Everything looks awful right now! You’re absolutely right. But I am choosing to keep fighting for even the smallest chance that we _can_ fix this,” Martin said. He held out his hand to Jon again, and felt the smooth, scarred palm against his own. He glanced down at their hands together. “Because I have to. I have to believe that we can go back to Scotland, that there can be more good cows, that Basira and Daisy and Melanie and Georgie-”

Jon followed Martin’s eyes down to their hands. “I know.” He grinned. “I’m very envious of your optimism, Martin. Do you think you can teach me?”

“Can certainly try!” Martin said with a smile. “I think we should probably keep moving, if you’re okay with that. The smell-”

“Alright. Let’s go, then.” Jon squeezed Martin’s hand. “I love you, Martin. Thank you for loving me as I am.

Martin looked at him incredulously. “Of course… that was never a question for me. You being aro is part of what makes you, you. And if I didn’t respect that… well I wouldn’t be respecting you, then, would I?”

“I do think you might have a point, though, with your Lord of the Rings story and Helen.”

“Oh?”

Jon laughed, for the first time in how long. “She said she knew that we crazy kids could make it work, and, by god, I want to prove her right.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on @okiedokiecrisco on twitter


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